Planners, builders and insurers have presented a united message around preventing development on floodplains following an inaugural roundtable. 

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), Master Builders Australia and the Planning Institute of Australia issued a communique after the event with reform recommendations for consideration by government planning ministers, who also met last week. 

Around 60 experts from government, financial services, property and community joined the roundtable discussions, which ranged across planning to avoid future exposure, managing known risks to existing settlement and strengthening arrangements for planned retreat where legacy risks are unacceptable. 

The roundtable was supported by the Australian Local Government Association, which is promoting “building back better” as an overriding principle of disaster recovery funding arrangements. 

ICA CEO Andrew Hall says the event set out actions governments must take to ensure future financial losses to homeowners, businesses and the community are avoided, and better government planning and investment is taken seriously. 

“The flood events of 2022, with almost 300,000 disaster-related claims costing around $7 billion, has driven up premiums and has resulted in affordability constraints for those at highest risk,” he said. 

“Without insurance, homeowners likely can’t access a mortgage, and that is the wrong direction for our country.” 

Recommendations discussed included that planning ministers must complete work this year to develop a national standard for considering disaster and climate risk, as agreed by National Cabinet. 

The communique calls for data and mapping issues to be addressed through the Hazards Insurance Partnership and seeks agreed parameters to limit new development in high-risk zones and nationally consistent principles where planned retreat is necessary. 

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